Fabulous Forensic Fingerprints
Category:Developed for first grade Fabulous Forensic Fingerprints Student worthiness Tried and Trusted. Primary biological content area covered Students will learn about the uniqueness of each person's individual body. To do this students will identify traits and characteristics of the human body, with a main focus on fingerprints. Materials *Paper/Index cards *Pencils *Clear Scotch Tape *Magnifying Glasses *Graph Paper *''Ghostwriter Detective Guide : Tools and Tricks of the Trade'' by Susan Lurie and illustrated by Felipe Gallindo (optional) Handouts Description of activity Students will examine and compare fingerprints. They will categorize their fingerprints, using the terminology: loops, arches or whorls. Lesson plan #Students will place a piece of paper on a hard surface. Using a pencil, they will scribble heavily in an area on the paper, creating a region of loose graphite on the paper. #The students will press their right thumb into the graphite area on the paper (which was left by the pencil markings) until their thumbs are completely covered. #Next, the students will press their thumbs on the sticky side of a piece of scotch tape. The students should then pull the tape off of their finger, leaving a clear fingerprint on the tape. Have each student stick the tape with his or her fingerprint onto the handout provided. #Repeat above directions for each finger on both hands. #Have students decide which type of finger prints they have. Record observations onto the handout provided. There are three possible categories: ##Loops ##Whorls ##Arches # Have the students compare and contrast their fingerprints with other students in the group. # On large graph paper, graph the class findings based on what category of fingerprints everyone in the class has. Potential pitfalls Students may have difficulty pulling their fingerprints from the pencil marks. If this occurs, another form of "ink" may be used. It is also necessary to remind the children not to get the graphite all over their clothing; hand washing may be necessary. Math connections *Students will learn how to present their findings on a graph and later analyze the information based on thier own fingerprint data. Literature connections *"Ghostwriter Detective Guide : Tools and Tricks of the Trade" by Susan Lurie and illustrated by Felipe Gallindo Art Connections * Students can create fun pictures using their fingerprints. Materials needed are different colored washable ink pads, paper and pencils. Connections to educational standards S:4 Students demonstrate their ability to conduct experiments (7.1 c; 7.2 c, d; 2.2 e, f, g ) Enduring Knowledge (Representing Data and Analysis): Students represent data using text, charts, tables, graphs. Next steps Another activity could be developed by touching glass beakers and brushing talcom powder on the beakers to see the fingerprints. This can then be related to law enforcement & forensics. To go farther with this activity, a crime scene could be created, where students need to brush the talcom powder on whatever has been touched and then try to figure out who "committed the crime" by looking at the three different classifications of fingerprints & searching through the class fingerprints. Citations and links *http://pbskids.org/zoom/activities/sci/fingerprints.html *http://www.fingerprintamerica.com/ *http://www.fbi.gov/hq/cjisd/takingfps.html *http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fingerprint *http://www.billybear4kids.com/Learn2Draw/FingerPrints.html *Vermont State Grade Expectations can be found at the State of Vermont Department of Education website. http://education.vermont.gov/new/html/pgm_curriculum/science/gle.html